Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, female in Iran, Islamic Republic of
Iran, Islamic Republic of: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, female was 85.8% in 2016. ▲ Rising
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, female in Iran, Islamic Republic of, 1976–2016
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Iran, Islamic Republic of recorded 85.8% for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, female in 2016. That is the highest value across all 11 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.9% on the previous year and up 2.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, female in Iran, Islamic Republic of peaked at 85.8% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 43.5%, in 1976.
That places Iran, Islamic Republic of 41st out of 59 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 11 years of available data.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, female in Iran, Islamic Republic of, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 43.5% | — |
| 1991 | 68.9% | +58.5% |
| 1996 | 75.5% | +9.6% |
| 2005 | 83.0% | +9.8% |
| 2006 | 83.5% | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 83.2% | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 84.3% | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 83.5% | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 85.0% | +1.7% |
| 2014 | 85.0% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 85.8% | +0.9% |
Iran, Islamic Republic of compared with similar countries
- Iran, Islamic Republic of's 85.8% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 95.9%, 89% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Iran, Islamic Republic of's 85.8% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 89.3%, 96% of the median. (12 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 43.5% | 43.5% | 43.5% | 1 |
| 1990s | 72.2% | 68.9% | 75.5% | 2 |
| 2000s | 83.2% | 83.0% | 83.5% | 3 |
| 2010s | 84.7% | 83.5% | 85.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Iran, Islamic Republic of
More education data for Iran, Islamic Republic of
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 406,399 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 108,066 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 519,698 (2020)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 505,053 (2020)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.62 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 9.09 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 3.31 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1003 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, female in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, female in Iran, Islamic Republic of was 85.8% in 2016, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, female recorded in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- The highest recorded value was 85.8% in 2016.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, female recorded in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.5% in 1976.
- How does Iran, Islamic Republic of rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, female?
- Iran, Islamic Republic of ranks 41st out of 59 countries with data for 2016.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, female rising or falling in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iran, Islamic Republic of data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release